The Breed (2006)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I was going to make some smart comment about this being one dog of a film, but I'm not going to. Because it's actually rather good, you see. Oh, it's not a 'good' film per se. Certainly not on a par with any classic horror film you'd like to mention. But for a modern-day, straight-to-video attempt at a killer dog film, it's actually not bad at all. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed CUJO, in any case.A better script than usual helps. Yes, there are the annoying stock characters, like the skanky-looking blonde bimbo and the token black guy (who you just KNOW is going to bite it by the time the movie ends). Yep, there are the clichés, including a typically ludicrous final scare that makes no sense given the rest of the film's plot. Sure, the atmosphere is thin on the ground. But the 'teenage' leads are a little less obnoxious and stupid than usual, and they actually make an effort to stay alive, which makes the viewer care about them more than usual.Killer dog films have been a cinematic staple since the '70s and I have to say that the animals in this film are exceptionally well trained. You're never less than convinced that they're ferocious, ravenous creatures out to devour human flesh. They're refreshingly free of gimmickry, too, so no red eyes or super-long teeth here, just wild dogs with big appetites. I could have done without the human infection sub-plot (especially as I watched this a day after THE CAVE, which had virtually the same sub-plot) but for the most part this movie rings true. The cast is the usual bunch of unfamiliar, generic types you see in straight-to-video productions with the exception of 'big name' Michelle Rodriguez. I usually can't stand Rodriguez when she plays overdone 'gutsy' type characters in films like RESIDENT EVIL but she plays a normal person here and is far better.The film is action packed and the action sequences well handled, with VERY convincing special effects used to simulate dog death (the arrow and car scenes are particularly effective shocks). There are the usual types of scenarios (survivors trapped in a house boarding the windows, going into the dark basement, climbing a zip wire etc.) but the director wrings maximum tension from these moments while building suspense and keeping the plot zipping along. If I had to criticise I'd say it takes a little while to get going after the (admittedly solid) opening, but on the whole this is a fine modern-day B-movie.

I heard that this was a Horror and that was about it. When the opening credits began with the sweeping camera over the brilliantly blue sea and the bad rock music, I knew that it was instead going to be some sort of "teen" slasher; when the "acting - or what passes for it - started, I knew it was going to be terrible.Instead of a cabin in the woods, mansion somewhere out of town or a very detached house somewhere in suburbia, the setting this time was an island, where 18 year olds with seaplanes apparently like to party and share girls.Why do these films always try to set up characters nobody will ever care about is my main question. After 10 minutes I fast forwarded the awful play-by-numbers dialogue but the film only appeared to get worse, prompting me to turn it off altogether.Even the biggest Wes Craven/slasher fan would be hard pushed to sit through this stinker. AVOID.

The name Wes Craven crops up in the titles . If you're expecting a horror classic from him you'd be wrong since the screen writing and directorial tasks are left to other people and Craven is executive producer , effectively the man who raised the money for the project . And yet this has Craven's hallmarks all over THE BREED . We get a short snappy opening hook then introduced to the characters proper who are horny college students on vacation The problem with making films is the same problem with watching films . If you're making a film you have to change the formula and bring something new otherwise the audience will become very bored . There's not a lot of freshness to THE BREED . The characters are the same sort of characters we've been seeing since Craven started making films in the early 1970s and the director Nick Mastandrea uses the old tired method of startling an audience by having a soundtrack that is silent for a few moments then CRASH BANG WHALLOP there's a deafening noise Where this film dares to be different is that instead of having a mad psycho killer we have super-intelligent dogs as the opponents to the protagonists . It's at this point I thought that Walter Hill would be have been the choice director for this type of story . He's always been a very good cinematic storyteller where characters find themselves trapped in a hostile environment battling for their survival . It should also managed to development a very similar sequence as the one seen here in SOUTHERN COMFORT . Perhaps if we had Hill as director the characters would have been more believable as the stock characters seen here ? That said THE BREED is made for the teen horror market and Hill would probably have been too expensive so is a production that gives an opportunity to a first time director with the studio executives not too nervous that the film is going to go way over time and budget . For what it is THE BREED is an adequate horror film that's not too graphic for a mainstream audience but at the same time doesn't bring all that much to the table

This is a virtual copy of the 1959 film, "The Killer Shrews," complete with folks stranded on an island and being attacked by killer dogs (or dogs dressed up like shrews). Both films are equally bad. Everyone does the stupid things people always do in horror films. Every cliché you can imagine is on display here. It is astounding that Michelle Rodriguez, a competent actress, would appear in such schlock (and surrounded by very bad actors). I know, I know...she has to pay her rent, too! This movie is a dog! Bow-wow.No dogs were harmed in the writing of this review.Woof-woof!